1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to mobile computing devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, pagers, and the like, and more specifically, to a wearable device/appliance (e.g., a wrist watch) capable of wirelessly accessing information and equipped with an interactive user interface incorporating novel password protection mechanism for protecting data and preventing unauthorized access to data and applications.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Computing, mobile and wireless communications technologies have been rapidly advancingxe2x80x94culminating in a variety of powerful user friendly devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, pagers, etc. Today, it is possible to purchase handheld PDA""s, e.g., palmtops such as the Palm Pilot(copyright), that employ wireless communication devices and that combines computing, telephone/fax, and networking features. A typical PDA may function as a cellular phone, fax sender, and personal organizer and are pen-based, requiring a stylus for text entry. As such, these device incorporate handwriting recognition features and may even employ voice recognition technologies that react to voice input. Small devices such as the RIM 950 and the Motorola PageWriter 2000 pager use a small keyboard for input.
Today, the industry is striving to provide advancements by providing increased PC desktop-like functionality while both decreasing size and power requirements. More recently there have been attempts to incorporate some of the capabilities of the above devices into wrist watches. However, today, only special wearable watch devices are available that, besides time keeping functions, may possess a compass, or a Global Positioning System (GPS), or barometer, heart rate monitor, Personal Handy System (PHS) phone, pager, etc. There are shortcomings in these existing special function watches in that most of them are bulky, are mostly unconnected to the Internet or other PC/network devices, have limited battery life, and, are difficult to use. These currently available special function wrist watches additionally have user interfaces that are quite limited in what they can display. For example, in the context of setting time in digital watches, currently, the user is only enabled to set the hour and minute independently, with time only advancing in one direction. Furthermore, most of them have a 6 to 8 seven segment LED or LCDs which can be used to display 6 or 8 digits/letters, and have a small number of indicators that can display AM/PM, Alarm on/off, etc. only at fixed locations within the display. A few watches are currently appearing on the market that have slightly richer display characteristics. Regardless, these various shortcomings have to be solved, otherwise there is no compelling reason for these watches to become popular. The design of a wrist watch for mobile computing applications offers a significant challenge because the watch is a small device. That is, both fitting components and power supplies such as batteries into such a small volume and given the limited screen size of watches pose limitations that have be overcome. Solving these issues is worthy because the watch is an attractive form as 1) it is one of the few devices that a very large fraction of the population is already accustomed to worldwide, 2) is accessible almost all the time, and, 3) is hard to lose.
It would thus be highly desirable to provide a wearable device/appliance (hereinafter xe2x80x9cwrist watchxe2x80x9d) capable of wirelessly accessing information and equipped with an interactive user interface and high resolution display for providing a variety of desktop PC-like functions.
Via the user interface, it would be highly desirable to provide a password protection mechanism that prevents unauthorized access to sensitive data that is stored in the wearable device/appliance. Typical password protection mechanisms, e.g., such as implemented in Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), building, room and car door entry systems, and the like, are typically fixed keypad entry systems, and not entirely fool proof as a possible intruder may still observe a user""s finger movement and potentially ascertain the user""s password. U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,349 describes a password entry system that provides a matrix of characters/numbers that are random ordered. A user presses a dedicated row or column button for each character of the memorized password appearing in that row/column. That is, the matrix pseudo randomly changes in each password character iteration, making the possibility of password theft and system intrusion difficult.
It would be highly desirable to provide a wearable device/appliance (a wrist watch) implementing a password protection mechanism that prevents unauthorized access to sensitive data that is stored therein that randomly changes the image sequence spatially and temporally, making it nearly impossible for a perpetrator who is watching a user""s fingerpresses to intrude the system.
It would be additionally be highly desirable to provide a wearable device/appliance (a wrist watch) implementing a password protection mechanism that may be implemented for control or access of a device located proximately to the user, e.g., an ATM machine, and that is equipped to communicate with the wrist watch device via a wireless communications protocol.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wearable device/appliance (a wrist watch) capable of wirelessly accessing information and equipped with an interactive user interface and high resolution display for providing a variety of desktop PC-like functions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wearable device/appliance (a wrist watch) implementing a password protection mechanism for preventing unauthorized access to sensitive data stored therein and that randomly changes the image sequence spatially and temporally, making it nearly impossible for a perpetrator who is watching a user""s fingerpresses to intrude the system.
It is a further object to provide a wearable device/appliance (a wrist watch) implementing a password protection mechanism that may be implemented for control or access of a system or device located proximately to the user, e.g., an ATM machine, and that is equipped to communicate with the wrist watch device via a wireless communications protocol.
According to the invention, there is provided a password authentication system for a wearable Wrist Watch device/appliance that enables access to secured data stored therein. The authentication system includes a user interface display having a touch sensitive panel for detecting physical user interaction therewith and generating signals accordingly. The Wrist Watch device/appliance generates a sequence of one or more images for display via the user interface, the images of a sequence including that users"" password elements which may be flashed variably with respect to time and at different interface display locations and spaced-apart temporally. A processor device receives the signals generated in accordance with user interaction with the touch sensitive panel at locations corresponding to the locations of a flashed image of the sequence that matches each element of the user password in order to provide verification of the password when all elements of the password have been detected.
The spatial and temporal variation of the user""s password elements in the displayed sequence of images makes it nearly impossible for a perpetrator who is watching a user""s fingerpresses to intrude the system. Furthermore, the principles of the invention as disclosed herein may be applied to any password entry system such as implemented in ATMs, buildings, rooms, and home and car door entries, etc.